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The Museum will now be known as the Canadian Museum of History, and it will take a more narrow focus on "national achievements and accomplishments that have shaped our country, " according to a government press release.

Desmond Morton is one of Canada's most prominent historians. He is a professor emeritus at McGill University and the author of 41 books on Canadian history.

"The government does have the right to make this kind of name change, but it does reflect a lot about this government and about the kind country they want us to be," says Morton.

"One of the reasons we don't pay much attention to history is how boring it's become," he says. "I rather like the broader interpretation, because as a historian I find the exciting things are not the traditional preoccupations, but they are the concerns of individuals."

"Canadians will find in the version of history that is imposed [in the museum's new focus] the boredom that they felt in school when history came up," predicts Morton.

Friday October 12, 2012

Maison Publique is a new restaurant on Montreal's Plateau Mont-Royal that has attracted a lot of attention because it's backed by British celebrity chef Jamie Oliver.

Chef/owner Derek Dammann comes from the swank Old Port restaurant DNA, but he says he wants something more down-to-earth with Maison Publique. Although Oliver is an investor, Dammann has complete creative control.

The decor is somewhat rustic, and the restaurant is tucked away on a quiet residential street.

Dammann says even though the restaurant is associated with one of the most famous chefs in the world, he wants this to be the kind of place the neighbours feel comfortable coming for a drink and a bite to eat.

Friday October 12, 2012

Martin Villeneuve has released his first feature-length film, Mars et Avril.

It's a romantic sci-fi film which features an idealistic version of what Montreal could be like in the future.

In Mars et Avril, Villeneuve (who is, by the way, the younger brother of one of Quebec's biggest filmmakers, Denis Villeneuve) liberally employs special effects to create a world that is almost entirely the product of his imagination.

And to do that, he brought together a blockbuster team of people with some pretty impressive resumés.

Bernard Mariette, the CEO of the parent company of Lolë, says activewear and streetwear are rapidly intersecting, and he predicts yoga pants will have as big an impact on the way we dress as jeans did in the 20th century.

Tuesday October 2, 2012

Many young professionals don't feel like they've reached the age and stage in life where they could be considered "patrons of the arts".

With careers to build, families to feed and mortgages to pay, being a philanthropsist seems far off.

But arts organizations are increasingly reaching out to young people of more modest means.

The Montreal Museum of Fine Arts has a newly-formed group of young philanthropists. The group is called Le Cercle, and it aims to get young professionals involved in the museum events. It allows young people to network and get involved in museum activities.

The cost to join Le Cercle is relatively modest (around $50 per event), but it serves to build a link between the instution and donors who will hopefully remain involved for decade to come.

The magazine Nouveau Projet got off the ground using crowdfunding, and musician Katie Moore used crowdfunding to help bankroll her latest album.

Montreal-based Talisman Theatre, which adapts French-language Quebecois plays for an English audience, used crowdfunding site Indiegogo to fund it's upcoming production of The Medea Effect. (Opening October 11.)

Listen to Jeanette's conversation with Marc-Antoine Saumier, President of Le Cercle, and Lyne Paquette, Artistic Director of The Medea Effect at the Talisman Theatre.